ROCKFORD – Not in control of their AHL playoff fate, the Rockford IceHogs will be busy scoreboard watchers this week.

That starts with Wednesday’s matchup of Texas at Oklahoma City. The Barons are in the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot and can clinch by winning once in regulation or overtime in their last three games.

If Oklahoma City beats Texas in regulation or overtime, the ’Hogs are eliminated. If the Barons win in a shootout, Rockford still is alive. Barely, though.

The first tiebreaker is wins excluding shootouts, and Oklahoma City is one ahead of Rockford 31-30. The next tiebreaker is head-to-head points, and they are tied 5-5. After that is goal differential, and right now Oklahoma City is minus-18 and Rockford minus-30 – and that’s too much to expect to change in one week.

If it did extend to goals in the season series, that was tied 16-16.

So, realistically, Rockford has to beat Chicago on Friday and Charlotte on Saturday, and have Oklahoma City pick up no more than one of a possible six points. The Barons finish with home games Friday and Saturday against Iowa.

Theoretically, Rockford could finish tied with Rochester at 81 points. But goal differential ultimately would sink the ’Hogs, with the Americans at minus-7 compared to Rockford’s minus-30.

If Rockford, Rochester and Oklahoma City all finish with 81 points, Rochester would get the nod for seventh place based on collecting one more standings point than Rockford and Oklahoma City in the head-to-head meetings. And then you match Rockford against Oklahoma City, and the Barons would qualify eighth based most likely on goal differential.

If Rockford wins out, it automatically finishes ahead of Charlotte and Utica. So the only scores that matter are those of the Barons.